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Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is charged with regulating aerospace transportation in the United States, including issuing pilot certificates and operating air traffic control systems. The FAA was folded into the Department of Transportation when it was founded in 1967. EFF has targeted the FAA with FOIA requests and lawsuits pertaining to its granting of drone authorization certificates.

FOIA Requests

EFF filed suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), receiving thousands of pages about the certifications and authorizations the agency has issued for the operation of unmanned aircrafts, also known as drones. The Federal Aviation Authority, part of the DOT, is the sole entity within the federal government responsible for authorizing domestic drone flights, providing a certification or authorization for any drone flying over 400 feet. Prior to our suit, there was no information available to the public about who specifically had obtained these authorizations or for what purposes. Through our lawsuit, we received specific and detailed information on the drone licensing process that was never before released. This prompted significant public awareness and discussion about the privacy and surveillance issues with drones. EFF partnered with MuckRock, an open government organization that helps individuals send requests for public records, to crowd-source FOIA requests to local law enforcement agencies about their use of unmanned aircrafts.